Nigeria is now pushing to develop its own vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS infection, the Nigerian Tribune newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing a top official.

John Idoko, director general, Nigeria's National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA), said while flagging off the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework Plan for 2010 to 2015, in Abuja on Monday.

According to him, with the latest discovery, it was very possible to develop preventive HIV vaccines, adding that Nigeria would need 5.7 billion U.S. dollars to fight the disease during the period.

The NACA boss said Nigeria already has a draft AIDS research plan and needed to update it, adding that Nigeria was one of the first countries to develop HIV vaccine plant.

“It is possible to develop preventive HIV vaccine and it is time for us to reviving our vaccine plants,” he said.

The official said research was very necessary to achieve, adding that the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework Two must improve on the first HIV/AIDS strategic framework.

Idoko said there was no enough fund to cover the period as only 3.125 billion dollars would be available for the fight against the disease while 5.7 billion dollars was required.